UK reaches coronavirus vaccine milestone
The UK government said Sunday that it reached its goal of giving at least one COVID-19 vaccine shot to the most vulnerable people in the country, increasing pressure on ministers to clarify when they will ease a lockdown imposed in early January.
More than 15 million people, or 22 per cent of the population, have received their first shot. The figure includes most people in the government’s top four priority groups, including everyone over 75, frontline healthcare workers and nursing home staff and residents.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson plans to unveil his roadmap for easing restrictions on February 22 amid signs that infection rates, hospitalisations and deaths have fallen sharply since England’s third national lockdown began on January 4.
Johnson said in England, everyone in the four top priority groups had been offered the vaccine. He plans to release further details on the vaccination effort on Monday.
Jockeying has already begun between those who want the measures lifted as soon as possible, and those who fear moving too fast will lead to a resurgence of the virus.
Britain got a head start on its vaccination effort in December, when it became the first country to authorise widespread use of a COVID-19 shot. It ranks behind only Israel, 71 per cent, the Seychelles, 53 per cent, and the United Arab Emirates, 50 per cent in the percentage of people who have received one dose, according to Oxford University. The US is fifth at 15 per cent.
At the same time, coronavirus lockdown rules that have closed schools, restaurants and nonessential shops in the UK are starting to pay off. The number of new infections, hospital admissions and deaths recorded over the past seven days have all dropped by more than 20 per cent from the previous week.
When Johnson announced the lockdown, he said the government would review the measures in mid-February based on their success in controlling the pandemic and progress in the vaccination effort. Britain has reported over 117,000 virus-related deaths, the highest pandemic toll in Europe.